HALLOWEEN.

Killer Costume, Kid!

Wanna Be Creative, Creepy, Cool? Give These Halloween Getups A Stab

October 19, 1993|By Brooks Whitney. Special to the Tribune.

Don't you just hate this: It's Halloween night, you put on your Jason or Aladdin costume, and you're thinkin' you look really cool. Then you hit the streets, or go to a party, and aaaagh - there are bunches of Freddys and Aladdins! Why blend in when you can stand out? These costumes are cheap, easy to make and guaranteed to turn a few heads.

Cool dude: Who doesn't love a well-stocked fridge? Take a big cardboard box. Cut off the flaps and put 'em aside. The open space is the bottom of the fridge. Spray paint the box white and cut a door in the front (big enough to open and get a good peek inside). Cut a hole in the top of the fridge for your head and in the sides for your arms. But BEFORE you cut the arms - make sure the holes are at the back, because you need room in front of your body for shelves. Cover the flaps in tin foil and, using heavy electrical tape, attach the shelves to the inside of the fridge (yep, they run in front of your body). Decorate the door with funny photos, comic strips and little sis' art work. (Just like the door on your real fridge, get it?) Glue empty food containers like a milk carton, egg carton and soda cans to the shelves. Also, what fridge would be complete without some molding green goop in a back corner?

Creepy crawly: Halloween is for creatures that bite in the night, so why not make like a big, black, long-fanged spider? Buy four pairs of cheap, black pantyhose. Cut the legs off and stuff with paper until they're stiff. Open metal hangers and insert one into each leg so you can bend them to the shape you want. Then dress all in black, from leggings to turtleneck. Tie a knot of the top of each pantyhose leg and attach to the collar of your shirt, or around your waist, with safety pins. Paint your face black, stick in a pair of fangs and carry a can of Silly String so you can spray people with your web. For the final touch, get a bunch of Gummi spiders and freak people out by slowly nibbling off each limb of your smaller and less fortunate spidey friends.

Picture this: You're a walking work of art, so why not be a self-portrait? Take a large cardboard box and cut out a big square from one side. That's gonna be your frame. (And it needs to be bigger than your head, duh!) Cut decorative notches around the edges. Cut out the middle of the frame. Then glue white poster board behind the frame. This should now look like a frame with a blank canvas on it. Cut a hole the size of your face in the blank poster board, paint wild, colorful hair around it, then decorate the frame. Make shoulder straps by stapling heavy elastic to the back of the frame to slip your arms through. For the finishing touch, carry a paint brush and an artist's palette and let your friends add finishing touches (like on your face!).

Say cheese! That's what you are, and when someone says it, snap their picture. You can make this costume in a flash: Take two large pieces of poster board, cut each in a triangle, spray paint them yellow, and either cut out holes and wear black underneath, or paint black holes on the cardbard. With the points facing down, punch two holes at the top of each board, one on the left side and one on the right. Then connect the two pieces by running heavy string through the holes. Then put the costume over your head and let the string rest on each shoulder. Take along your camera and see what develops!

Ready, Freddy? Get gross!

Try these tricks from the pros at Hades Haunted House:

Goopy skin: In a saucepan, mix water with a pack of Knox Gelatin until it's the consistency of applesauce. Add a drop of glycerin (get it at a drug store); heat until warm. Put it on your face and hands - it'll be stretchy and nasty. For the rotting look, add dry oatmeal.

Gritty mummy face: Have an adult carefully paint your face with liquid latex from a costume store, wrap toilet paper around your head, put on more latex and cover it with dry corn meal.